Chrysler Recalls 585,000 Jeeps, Pickups

DETROIT Reuters reported that The Chrysler arm of DaimlerChrysler AG will recall about 585,000 Jeeps and pickups for two separate problems, federal regulators said on Tuesday.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Chrysler would recall 316,148 Jeep Wrangler sport utility vehicles made between June 1989 and December 1995 to fix parking brakes that can release on their own without warning.

Chrysler will also recall 268,740 Dodge Ram pickups to fix an alternator wire that can come loose and create a fire hazard. That recall covers 2001 model year pickups built between January and August 2000.

Chrysler spokeswoman Angela Spencer Ford said there had been 11 complaints about the Wrangler's parking brakes, including four injuries. Dealers will install a stiffer spring in the parking brake to fix the problem.

She said there had been two reports of fires in Ram pickups, with no injuries. To fix the Rams, dealers will check the wires and tighten the connections if necessary.

Federal regulators said Chrysler had not given a timetable for performing the repairs.